Biffa Award

Charity Number: CUSTOM_C909441D

Annual Expenditure: £3.6M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £3.6 million+ (2021-22)
  • Total Awarded Since 1997: £189 million
  • Decision Time: 1 week for Expression of Interest; up to 6 months for full decision
  • Grant Range: £10,000 - £1,000,000 (across different schemes)
  • Geographic Focus: UK-wide (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) - must be within specified distance of landfill sites

Contact Details

Website: https://www.biffa-award.org

General Enquiries: biffa-award@wildlifetrusts.org

Grants Manager: Rachel Maidment

  • Email: rmaidment@wildlifetrusts.org
  • Phone: 01636 670051

Grants & Data Coordinator: Katrina Dines

  • Email: kdines@wildlifetrusts.org
  • Phone: 03306 700919 (Text Direct)

Communications Support Officer: Ashleigh Carter

  • Email: acarter@wildlifetrusts.org
  • Phone: 01636 670038

Admin Support Officer: Sarah Mooney

  • Email: smooney@wildlifetrusts.org
  • Phone: 01636 670049

Overview

Established in 1997, Biffa Award is a multi-million pound environmental fund managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts on behalf of Biffa Group Limited. Operating as part of the Landfill Communities Fund, a government tax credit scheme, Biffa Award has awarded over £189 million to more than 3,400 cultural, community, and biodiversity projects across the UK. The fund supports projects near landfill sites, helping to build communities and transform lives. Since its inception, Biffa Award has improved almost 500,000 hectares of land for biodiversity—an area nearly the size of Norfolk—and directly benefited an estimated 265,000 people through project improvements. Originally created as Biffaward to support waste and recycling projects, government policy changes later expanded its scope to broader community-focused schemes.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Main Grants Scheme: £10,000 - £75,000

Available on a rolling basis for projects with total costs under £200,000 (including VAT). Applications are reviewed at quarterly Board meetings in February, May, July, and November. Expression of Interest decisions typically provided within one week. Four funding themes:

  • Community Buildings
  • Recreation
  • Nature Recovery (formerly Rebuilding Biodiversity)
  • Cultural Facilities

Partnership Grants Scheme: £250,000 - £1,000,000

Annual grants programme for larger projects of regional or national significance, with specific deadlines. Projects must finish within one year. Two main themes:

  • Built Environment
  • Natural Environment

Recent Partnership Grants include projects ranging from £390,000 to over £2 million. The 2024 scheme received applications exceeding £8.4 million, demonstrating strong competition.

Priority Areas

  • Nature Recovery: Creating pollinator habitats, reintroducing species (e.g., beavers), establishing nature reserves for rare wildlife, coronation meadows, and urban buzz projects
  • Community Buildings: Facilities that serve the whole community with full public access
  • Recreation: Playparks, boardwalks, skateparks, woodland walks, nature trails, outdoor gyms
  • Cultural Facilities: Museums and heritage sites, including exhibitions recognizing lesser-known historical figures

Projects must demonstrate whole community benefit and maintain a minimum of 104 days of full public access per year.

Geographic Eligibility

Projects must be located:

  • Main Grants (Community Buildings, Recreation, Cultural Facilities): Within 5 miles of a significant Biffa Operation OR 10 miles of an active Biffa Landfill Site, AND within 10 miles of any licensed landfill site (England and Northern Ireland)
  • Main Grants (Nature Recovery): Within 15 miles of a significant Biffa Operation or active Biffa Landfill Site, AND within 10 miles of any licensed landfill site
  • Partnership Grants: Within 15 miles of a significant Biffa Operation or active Biffa Landfill Site, AND within 10 miles of any licensed landfill site

A postcode checker is available on the Biffa Award website. Contact Entrust (01926 488300 or helpline@entrust.org.uk) to verify proximity to licensed landfill sites.

What They Don't Fund

Ineligible Organizations:

  • Local authorities and councils
  • Hospices, hospitals, day-care centres, nurseries
  • Food banks, rehabilitation units, residential care facilities
  • Activity centres, schools, and colleges
  • Projects on the grounds of the above institutions or on allotments

Excluded Project Types:

  • Projects focused solely on cost-cutting or energy-saving
  • Habitat improvement on land where biodiversity units will be sold
  • Research projects
  • Standalone elements of larger projects that could be delivered for less than £200,000 (e.g., separated phases like heating, kitchen installations)
  • Sport kits, pitch repairs, cricket nets, flood lighting, pitch drainage (Recreation theme)
  • Facilities used only by players (changing rooms, showers, toilets)
  • Work to meet Disability Discrimination Act requirements
  • Retrospective funding
  • Movable equipment, staff and core costs, or storage facilities (grants must be for site-based capital improvement work)
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Governance and Leadership

Biffa Award is managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (Charity Number 207238), which serves as an umbrella organization for 46 local Wildlife Trusts across the UK. RSWT has a dedicated Grants Team that manages multiple environmental funds on behalf of various organizations including Biffa Group Limited, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, People's Postcode Lottery, and Network Rail.

Board Structure: The Board comprises representatives from Biffa Group Ltd and RSWT. According to evaluation reports, decision-making processes are viewed as robust and transparent, with management and administration functioning very effectively.

Known Trustee: Mick, Chief Operating Officer for Resources & Energy at Biffa, has oversight of the Group's Environmental strategy and serves as a trustee of Biffa Award.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Main Grants Scheme (Rolling Basis):

  1. Check eligibility using the postcode checker on the Biffa Award website
  2. Submit an Expression of Interest form at any time
  3. Receive decision on Expression of Interest within one week
  4. If invited, complete a full application form
  5. Application reviewed at the next quarterly Board meeting (February, May, July, or November)

Partnership Grants Scheme (Annual with Deadlines):

  1. Submit Expression of Interest by the annual deadline
  2. Await shortlisting decision
  3. If invited, complete a full application form
  4. Final decisions communicated

Key Application Requirements:

  • Only 90% of any grant can be paid using Landfill Tax Credits; the remaining 10% must be provided by another source (third party contribution)
  • If not the landowner, a fully signed lease agreement with at least 10 years remaining is required
  • Maximum of two full applications per financial year from any one organization
  • Only one application per organization considered at any Board meeting

Decision Timeline

  • Expression of Interest: Decision within 1 week of submission
  • Full Application to Final Decision: Up to 6 months from receipt
  • Board Meetings: February, May, July, November (four times annually)

Success Rates

The schemes remain highly competitive with far more applications received than can be funded. For the 2024 Partnership Grants Scheme, applications exceeded £8.4 million in requests. Most successful applicants are relatively small organizations—nearly half have an annual income of less than £50,000, though nearly 1 in 5 successful applicants have annual incomes of £1 million or more.

Between 2015 and 2020, Biffa Award awarded £22.7 million to more than 300 projects. In 2021-22, over £3.6 million was granted to 37 projects.

Reapplication Policy

Organizations cannot re-apply for funding on the same site of a previous Biffa Award grant within one year of receiving the final payment. For unsuccessful first-time applicants, there does not appear to be a mandatory waiting period, but applicants are advised to review current guidance notes as policies may have changed.

Application Success Factors

Demonstrate Greatest Need: Biffa Award prioritizes projects that demonstrate the greatest need to ensure spaces remain open and fully accessible to communities or to protect nature's recovery. Even if a project qualifies, it may be rejected if others demonstrate greater need.

Community Benefit: All projects must benefit the whole community. Applications must provide clear evidence of community benefit, not just benefit to specific user groups.

Public Access: Ensure your project can deliver a minimum of 104 days of full public access per year. This is a mandatory requirement.

Third Party Contribution: Secure the required 10% third party contribution before applying, as only 90% can come from Landfill Tax Credits.

Long-Term Sustainability: If not the landowner, secure a lease agreement with at least 10 years remaining. Other forms of agreement cannot be accepted.

Professional Application Process: The grants team is viewed as professional, helpful, and flexible. Biffa Award invests grants relatively quickly and highly effectively. Don't hesitate to contact the team for guidance—they are there to support applicants.

Recent Project Examples:

  • Creating 200 hectares of new pollinator habitat
  • Reintroducing beavers to England
  • Creating exhibitions recognizing 57,861 people who lost their lives in Bomber Command during WWII
  • Purchasing nationally important nature reserves
  • Developing unique laboratory experiences to inspire future scientists
  • Building playparks, boardwalks, skateparks, woodland walks, nature trails, and outdoor gyms

Avoid Common Pitfalls:

  • Don't apply for projects focused solely on cost-cutting or energy-saving
  • Ensure you're not breaking larger projects into smaller phases artificially—standalone elements under £200,000 won't be funded
  • For Recreation projects, remember that pitch improvements and player-only facilities are excluded

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Location is Critical: Use the postcode checker early to verify your project site meets the distance requirements from landfill sites. This is non-negotiable.
  • Demonstrate Greatest Need: Competition is fierce. Your application must clearly articulate why your project deserves funding over others, emphasizing community benefit and need.
  • Secure Match Funding First: Have your 10% third party contribution confirmed before applying. This shows financial viability and commitment.
  • Think Community-Wide: Projects serving narrow user groups won't succeed. Demonstrate how the whole community will benefit with at least 104 days of public access annually.
  • Rolling Basis Advantage: For Main Grants, you can apply at any time, but allow up to 6 months for the full process. Applications go to the next available quarterly Board meeting.
  • Application Limits Matter: With only two full applications permitted per financial year and one per Board meeting, choose your timing and projects strategically.
  • Engage Early: The grants team is professional and helpful. Contact them for guidance before applying—this is encouraged and can improve your application quality.

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